A decent contract can save your bacon. It’ll guard you against pushy commercial clients or steamrolling media outlets. It’ll outline terms, so that everyone knows what they’re getting.

I think we’ve all run into this, if we haven’t we will, when an outlet or a client says, “we don’t have a budget for work, but it’ll be great exposure for you.” No, no, no. Can I pay for my groceries with exposure? Does my landlord accept exposure as rent?

For writers, photographers, and filmmakers there is no end to the choice of competitions and festivals to submit your work. Some are monthly, some are annual, some have exhibitions attached, some have prize money. But recognition from the right competition can be a rocket ship for your career. It’s not about prize money, a free camera, or the competition win itself, but about the fact that your project now has a stamp of approval from a professional body. Someone in the industry has said “yup, this is good.”

The basic business model of our industry is the same as most, we make a product, then we sell it to a buyer. But there is a benefit for us, now more than ever - our product is digital, meaning we can sell it again and again.

This is not sexy. But it is so important. What good is a perfectly researched, excellently produced project if it’s unpublished and unseen?

I’m often asked how I find a price for my work, but like with other industries the market mostly sets the price and the client will tell me what they can pay.  If it’s not enough, I suggest the usual market rate for the work, before walking away. If the price is acceptable, I always ask for a little extra on top, and occasionally I’m offered more than expected.

This is the email structure I use to place work with magazines, websites, TV channels, and private clients.

Editors see many messages a day. Be concise. Be polite. First impressions matter.